Editorial Board
Margaret Harding
Kristi Jourdan
Liz Kersjes
John Hudson
Nicquel Terry
James Andersen
Stephanie Goldberg
Proposed smoking ban could hurt local economy
Ingham County could go smoke-free soon, but only in certain areas. A proposed amendment to the existing smoking ban would prevent secondhand smoke from traveling into nonsmoking areas of restaurants and bars.
The original smoking ban was adopted in February 2002 and prohibited smoking in any public or private work sites in Ingham County, which include public transportation, museums, sports arenas, child care centers, offices and reception areas.
While smoking in restaurants and bars would still be allowed under the proposed amendment, those restaurants and bars that allow smoking would have to assure smoke won’t travel into nonsmoking areas. New restaurants would be designed to handle the smoke, but older restaurants would have to renovate their facilities. While the proposal makes sense intuitively, as nonsmoking areas should remain smoke-free, the actual process of making that happen can be very expensive — especially for small and privately owned businesses. The owner of Irish Pub and Grill, 1910 W. Saginaw St., in Lansing, already installed smoke eaters and fans to make the environment more friendly to nonsmokers, but the equipment cost the owner $3,600.
With Michigan’s poor economy and unemployment rate, this is not a good time to impose expensive regulations on businesses in the state. Since the regulations would only affect Ingham County, the proposal also might discourage new businesses from settling in the Greater Lansing area. Michigan should avoid any proposals that might keep businesses away.
The worst part about the proposal is its potential to financially burden small, locally owned businesses. While large restaurant chains and high-end establishments likely wouldn’t have a hard time fronting money to make the required changes, a few thousand dollars has the potential to cripple a small restaurant owner.
It would be much cheaper and easier for Ingham County to ban smoking altogether instead of imposing a series of laws and amendments to slowly thwart the practice. Fans and filters can never be 100 percent effective, and the costs are too prohibitive. However, under Michigan state law, banning smoking entirely from bars and restaurants is illegal.
If a majority of people in the state believe in a statewide smoking ban, they should come together and vote to override the state law. It will take more than just Ingham County to make this decision. Until that happens, however, the county should make the transition financially feasible for small and locally owned businesses. Otherwise, the proposed amendment should not be implemented.
Until a statewide ban takes effect — if that ever happens — people need to take into account the smokiness of a restaurant before going there. Many restaurant owners choose to make their restaurants smoke-free, and it’s not difficult to find a smoke-free restaurant to frequent. If a particular restaurant or bar is too smoky for someone, then that person doesn’t need to patronize that establishment.
Published on Sunday, November 25, 2007
Comments
once again
11/25/07 @ 9:01pm
State News Writers,
What? You guys are complaining about how a smoking ban would hurt the local economy and employment rates. Last week you were telling students to take their money and send it out of state because textbooks are hard to pay for. Before you guys write this stuff can you please remove your heads from your rears and think.
The Man, man
11/25/07 @ 10:55pm
i’ll also add that i think the smoking ban is an egregious over-reach into our lives by the government and totally disagree with it in principle…BUT...i do love smoke free bars and not stinking like a cig at the end of an evening…plus i like seeing chicks not smoke b/c as we all can agree smoking is slutty.
i’m pro-smoking ban for selfish reasons regardless of the effect on economy.
My Lungs Hurt
11/26/07 @ 1:46pm
Can someone please point me to where I can find statistics about how smoking bans in the roughly 25 other states have hurt their economies? It’s like it’s the first time any municipality has proposed this and there is no established evidence that it is not destructive. Give me a break. I know plenty of people who can’t enjoy live music at bars and restaurants because they can’t deal with the smoke. Everyone has a right to smoke as long as it doesn’t interfere with someone else’s right to breathe and not smell like ass. I think breathing and non-ass-smelliness trump the right to smoke. Go smoke in your own house (unless you live in an apartment building).
By the way, where are all the conservatives today who cry about the State News being radically leftist once again? Oh wait…........
The Man, man
11/26/07 @ 2:52pm
My Lungs Hurt: the smoknig ban is a leftist proposal. what’s your point? is it that SN is against a leftist proposal for once? if so, so what.
freedom
11/26/07 @ 3:32pm
@My Lungs Hurt, go listen to live music in your own home or open your own smoke free bar.
RDW
11/26/07 @ 3:38pm
Here’s the simple problem:
I have a right not to smoke.
You have a right to smoke.
I don’t want to breathe the smoke from your tobacco product of choice.
You want to be able to smoke where you see fit.
These wants and right at inherantly at odds.
Personally, I’d like to see more smoke-free areas, but I agree that it’s really not the government’s place to say what should be smoke-free. Leave it to the restaurant owners.
Tim
11/26/07 @ 4:50pm
right to smoke? What have you been smoking?
Ronald Coase
11/26/07 @ 5:20pm
let the market dictate!
if smoke free bars draw more business, then bar owners will make bars smoke free. and vise versa.
keep big government out of our life choices. we don’t need our hands held.
(note: i’m a non smoker and prefer a smoke free environment but disagree with the ban)
Tom
11/26/07 @ 5:35pm
If people need to use tobacco so bad, then they can start chewing. Chewing doesn’t affect anyone but the person doing it, and anti-spitting laws will protect us from them spitting on the floor. I’m all for banning smoking in all public places.
More Healthy Air, Less Hot Air
11/26/07 @ 5:40pm
Wake up, State News! More than half of the US (24 states) Puerto Rico & most of Canada (Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan) have smoke-free laws.
And “where are your stats” that this could hurt the local economy? What study are you looking at?
Studies show that businesses actually thrive with smoke-free laws. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DE2D91E30F93AA15750C0A9629C8B63&sec=health
Is the State News also proud that Michigan remains one the most unhealthy states to live in?
Chris
11/26/07 @ 5:46pm
Can you please provide some numbers to support your claims. Until you do, this article should only be used to showcase C level journalism. Second, for a comparison, look to Madison, WI, where I went to undergrad. Proponents made the very same baseless allegations you have today, and they were proven wrogn, much as they have been in most other cities. NYC has seen an increase in then number of liquor licenses and restaurant/bar openings since banning smoking. Madison, a college town similar to [East] Lansing has seen an overall increase in bar patronage during the week with little drop off during the weekend. The fact is, instituting a smoking ban has been shown to increase patronage to bars by persons normally off put by the stench and air quality of smoke filled establishments.
Ironically, you are concerned with the immediate costs of this this on Michigan’s already poor economy and unemployment. It is this reactive thinking and lack of foresight (mostly by the big 3) that put MI in this position. In essence, you are willing to sacrifice the future health of the state – both people and the terrific resources needed to care for a sick population – for the short term of helping the state get through a recession. Nice, now thats progressive thinking, just like when Ford/GM decided to focus all their energies on the short term of SUVs and avoid any development of fuel efficient cars. This is why i love Michigan and never plan on returning to Wisconsin.
Anthony
11/26/07 @ 10:04pm
This is a joke. Liberals want to create laws to force everyone to act the way they see fit.
If it were law for all bars to allow smoking id be against it too. Why is the state now making business decisions. Maybe the legislature should spend more time fixing the economy then worrying about cigarettes
Chris
11/26/07 @ 10:15pm
Anthony, it’s not a business decision. It’s a health decision!!!!! Part of the economy is health care by the way. Before going on a liberal rant, at least iron out the inconsistencies in your own response.
Smoking Stinks
12/04/07 @ 1:29pm
“With Michigan’s poor economy and unemployment rate, this is not a good time to impose expensive regulations on businesses in the state”
Impose expensive regulations…what about smokers imposing their cancer causing smoke into my lungs? The fact that you would so much as suggest that this a burden to business owners is ridiculous! What about the burden it causes with people who choose not to pollute their bodies? What about people with caner and asthma? Should they have to breath in your 2nd hand smoke? Michigan needs to follow other smoke free states like New York, Hawaii, California,Minnesota and several others. In a time where people have become so health conscious it is unfathomable that people are legally allowed to impose their bad habits on me. Small restaurants and bars would not be put out of business. Smokers can simply just step outside and smoke their cancer sticks in an outdoors smoking section. There is no need to renovate their buildings. Unless of course they are too lazy to step outside for 2 minutes to smoke. What about the customers businesses lose because they don’t want to sit in a room full of smoke? There are several places in East Lansing that I refuse to go to because they are filled with disgusting smoke and I can’t breathe.
sparty1977
12/05/07 @ 9:23pm
I’m currently living in CT where smoking is banned from restaurants and bars. Businesses are striving inspite of the banned. Just look at NYC and LA where smoking is not allowed, either. Two of the largest cities in the country, and they don’t have any problems attracting customers. More people are going out in those cities than ever. I dreaded going out when I’m back home in Michigan. Smoking Stinks!